


Dream's Play

by DaughterOfAthena



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: A modern girl in Thedas, F/M, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8570776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterOfAthena/pseuds/DaughterOfAthena
Summary: A fic for LadyAudentium and her OC, Arryn Mauntelle. This is my take on a little adventure with Arryn and the Chargers.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyAudentium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAudentium/gifts).



> Check out LadyAudentium's story about Arryn Mauntelle, "Warriors: Arryn Mauntelle." It's so good and deserves all the love because it's great and I'm honored to write a story for this character!

The tavern was warm, welcoming, bringing in a life of energy Arryn felt she was missing. It felt raw and golden, as though she should have been there for the longest time. She would be there for the longest time. Another drink, maybe three more. Maybe another hour downstairs, another round of Wicked Grace. Maybe she would actually win a round. She had the whole night, didn't she?

A warm, familiar laugh brought Arryn back to the happenings of the tavern. The Chargers were all seated around the table, coppers and silvers, even a few sovereigns, were topping the tables. Bull was downing his ninth drink, having no problems at all. Dalish wasn't touching hers, apparently not in the mood, but she had the greatest pile of coins. At the far enough, Skinner and Rocky were arguing over something, maybe the last hand. Arryn couldn't hear them, didn't care to listen. It wasn't a night for arguing. They were celebrating!

Even if she couldn't remember why they were celebrating. But that's what the Chargers do, right? They celebrate even if there wasn't a real reason?

"Lashes, you in or not?" 

Arryn looked at the cards in her hand and then looked to her right, looking at Gaelic before tossing a couple silvers onto the table. The blond elf was smiling, shaking his head.

"You aren't going to be winning this round," he said.

"Says who? I've got a good hand this time!" The girl laughed, confident in her hand. This was going to be her round.

The turn passed around the table until it hit Gaelic. He was hesitating, which made Arryn even more confident in her hand. Everyone had dropped out, even Krem and Dalish. It was between the two of them, and if Gaelic would just drop, then she would win with probably the worst hand in the game. But he didn't. He tossed a sovereign onto the table and smiled. "Your turn, Lashes," he said, laughing as Arryn hesitated.

He was edging her on, wanting her to lay down money or to call it quits. She looked at her cards again, debating if she wanted to toss that sovereign onto the table or not. But if she tossed two, then maybe Gaelic would call it. She had to see past his poker face, to figure out what cards he had. Gaelic was right beside her! Arryn should have figured it out by now. Fuck, even Bull knew Krem's and Skinner's hand before the start of the game. It was a talent, quite honestly, and Arryn was determined to perfect it.

"I would stop while you're ahead, Arryn. His cards are better."

Arryn's blue and green hair fell back over her shoulders, resting on her back as she looked over her left shoulder. A wide smile appeared on her face of her best friend. Sophi's smile was nearly as bright as the burning fire in the hearth. Of course she was hovering instead of playing. She hated playing Wicked Grace, especially when everyone started drink. 

Which was every night.

And it was natural for Sophi to be just looking over everyones' shoulders, seeing who had the better hand. 

Her armor made her blend with the rest, matching similarly to what Arryn was wearing. Gaelic was such a good teacher, teaching them both to be rogues. While Arryn was perfecting an art to dancing with death, balancing the daggers and movements with timing and openings, Sophi found her balance in shadow attacks. She didn't flirt with death up close like Arryn, rather, she issued death to those flanking around the Chargers. Bull adored her just as much as he did Arryn, proud of have two new additions that were doing amazing. Krem liked the extra hands, and the extra coverage. Dalish was just happy to have a couple more females. 

Arryn pouted, sticking out her bottom lip in a way to play to Sophi's softer side. "Don't say that," she muttered. "I'll beat him this round, I swear. Just like our last sparring match. He was no match for me."

"You say that," Sophi ticked. "But his are better. I seen them. You're only going to lose your coin." 

The rest of the Chargers were quiet while Arryn debated what she would do. She could listen to Sophi, who had seen the cards of the remaining players, or to stay in and hope Gaelic laid down his cards. She had a fifty-fifty shot of winning this round.

"Fine. This round is Gaelic's," Arryn said, groaning as she slid her cards, face down, to the center of the table. A whooping cheer erupted from Gaelic as he flipped his cards to show the table.

They were shittier cards than hers.

"What the fuck?! Sophi! You said his cards were better!" Arryn gapped, unable to believe that she quit the game and would have won! 

The girl's best friend just laughed, a good, healthy laugh that shook Arryn's core. It was so good to hear her laugh, but how dare she laugh at her loss! 

 

Dalish was hovering over Arryn's body. The human girl had been asleep for hours, longer than normal. Chief was worried, naturally. Something wasn't right.

Arryn had missed breakfast, which Dalish had figured was to be expected. Someone had cracked a joke the night before about Gaelic, and it seemed that his death still irked the human girl. Dalish had tried to slide some food to her in the morning, expecting it to be gone, or for her to be awake at least by ten. But she wasn't, wasn't waking up, and now she was practically comatose. This wasn't normal, was never normal, unless she was a mage. But Arryn wasn't a mage. She was human. A strange human, but a simple human.

"How's it going, Dalish? Are you getting anywhere?"

The Iron Bull was crawling into the tent, trying to sneak a peek around the elf woman. Said elf just shook her head, closing her hands and cutting off the spirit energy flowing from them.

"Chief, I have got nothing. This isn't normal, not for a human. If she were a mage, this could be explained, but she isn't. Maybe it was something in the drinks-"

"Couldn't have been, or we all would be out like her," Bull said. He sighed and looked down at the human. Dalish frowned, knowing that the Chief cared for the girl greater than he let on. She was family. 

"Let me know as soon as something gets through. Maybe she'll just wake up and we can get a move on." Bull didn't sound sure in his statement. 

"Here's to hoping, Chief."

 

"... And his head came clean off!" Krem said, smiling as he slammed his hand down. The rest of the Chargers were laughing, half of them doubled over. Arryn was one doubled over. How could that Vint not see it coming? Priceless!

Sophi was beside her, giggling. She wasn't doubled over like Arryn was, or in tears like Rocky or Gaelic. Her spirits weren't as high as they normally were.

"Come on, Sophi! Why don't you share a story this time! Those five months away from the Chargers must have given you some story you could share." Arryn leaned on the table, her elbow resting on the wooden top. Sophi was radiant as ever in the room, surrounded by their new family. As much as either girl missed Earth and Canada, Arryn adored Thedas and the Chargers. The work was hard, obviously, but it was well worth it for the life they were living. It was fantasy, adventure, thrill, all wrapped into one. 

Sophi bobbed her head side to side before saying, "all right. I think I have one. 

"I was across the sea, in Kirkwall for a bit. A lovely place for shit hit the fan. But, I was working with Hawke, Aveline, and Fenris. We were actually coming back from the Bone Pit when Aveline seen a few of her guards men. Apparently they had been abused and attacked, unable to send for reinforcements. Hawke, as bold as ever, jumped out from behind the boulder we were behind and just firing fireball after fireball at these bandits! I'll tell you, as tough as these men supposedly were, they weren't anything compared to Hawke's magic.

"Fenris was just as brutal. When he tried to run after Hawke, ramming through a line of the bandits, it left an opening for me and Aveline. I went through, hacking like a champ, and Aveline guarded my back. Fenris dos the weird glowing their and was just slaughtering the bandits, one by one. Hawke... Well Hawke made it to the leader, taking the man's head off with no remorse.

"I forget who the kid was, but we ended up saving some kid and the guardsmen. Aveline was really happy that none of her men died. When Hawke offered drinks for the evening, I had to decline because I needed to get back to Fereldan. My work in Kirkwall was finished."

Arryn had heard the story before, some how. Was it Sophi who told it the first time? Maybe it was Fenris. 

"What was your work in Kirkwall anyways, Sophi? I don't think you ever told me," Arryn asked. Why hasn't her best friend told her about the mission she lead before returning to Fereldan, to the Chargers?

But Sophi smiled, no, smirked, and said, "it's not important. Actually, it would put quite a few people in danger if I told that story. Specifically you, Arryn."

Her name sounded foreign coming from Sophi's lips, but Arryn had no time to question it since Bull was ordering another round of drinks, shouting, "I can top that! Krem, you remember that job we had when we had to go giant baiting, right?"

"Aye, Chief!"

 

"How do you know this will work? You've never tried it and we don't have that much lyrium," Bull said, crossing his arms. Dalish held her ground. 

"I don't know if it will work, but it's at least a lead. And if we're short on lyrium supplies for a week, then so be it. I much rather attempt this than be left to wonder why Lashes won't wake up." Dalish, who usually wasn't questioned about her ideas, felt like a child for the Chief's reaction. It was a lead, a start. She couldn't get through to Lashes in the waking world, so if she could sneak a peek into her mind while she was asleep, maybe she could figure out the problem. It was hardly tested, jumping into the Fade to see someone else's dreams, but it had to be done. All she needed was the Chief's approval and for Grimm and Skinner to watch her as she navigated into Lashes' mind.

Bull sighed, shaking his head. "I don't like it, this mage and magic crap." He hesitated before adding, "but if it wakes her up, I'll get the lyrium, Skinner, and Grimm. Just... Don't do anything stupid. We don't need demons and shit in the Chargers' ranks."

Dalish smiled. "Of course, Chief. I wouldn't think of it."

 

"And you can just see what ever you want, whenever you want! And you can speak with people, in seconds, all the way across the ocean!"

"That's a bunch of shit!"

Arryn laughed. They didn't understand cell phones, and it was great! "No, I'm being serious! You have a small block, as thick as my hand, and it fits in my pocket. I can send messages and speak with other people in seconds. I can also listen to music, take photographs, and watch people do things that happened years ago. I used it to watch cats chase things all the time."

Gaelic laughed, wiping away tears. "Why, in Maker's name, did you use that sort of device to watch cats? Didn't you have one of your own?"

Arryn shrugged. "I wasn't the only person to use that power like that. I remember in school that my whole class went crazy over a picture of a dress. People said it was black and blue, others side white and gold. There were serious debates over this dress that everyone could see because of our cell phones." The thought of that damned dress made Arryn grimace. People had gotten too serious over that.

"Why?" Krem asked before chugging down some of his ale. What round of drinks were they on now? 

"I have no idea. Humans are strange when it comes to debating things." Sophi tapped the wooden table, looking bored. Arryn figured that it bored her to talk about their world. But she found it hilarious how the Chargers found the things that they had impossible. Common things, like television and running water were impossible, never thought up things. Just the thought of Bull in their world sparked a hint of laughter in Arryn, thinking of the horned man flushing a toilet for hours. Or watching him turn a light switch on and off again for hours. Things that were taken for granted were wonders to these people.

"So if you needed troops?" Krem asked.

"They could be shipped to where ever in a matter of a few days, a week at most," Arryn replied, watching disbelief. Troops here had to march. Back home? Send those soldiers on a plane or boat and they're fighting the next day. 

"And ale?" Bull asked, which roused the Chargers into cheering. It looked like more drinks were on their way.

"There's a shop that you can buy them, hundreds of them. And you can have them in your home, whenever, cold and ready. Or you could go to bars or pubs and drink, dance, and have fun with strangers."

Bull laughed, nudging Krem and then Rocky. "Looks like our two worlds do have something in common! The taverns and these bars sound pretty much the same to me."

Arryn smiled, taking a drink. Maybe her taste buds were dead, but she couldn't take the liquid. 

That wasn't normal.

 

The Fade was navigable to mages, given that they could bend the Fade in the waking world to grant them power. But trying to roam it to find another dreamer wasn't so easy. But Dalish wasn't one to give up, not when one of her family members was in danger. She just didn't have long. They didn't have the lyruim supply to give her hours in the Fade.

As she wandered the terrain, wandering through grey and green mush, Dalish wondered what she would encounter. Would Lashes be alone, clueless as to why she was stuck in the Fade? Or would she be surrounded by rage and hunger demons, praying on an innocent that didn't know much about the Fade, the dream world, or demons. 

Come to think of it, Dalish realized that Lashes hadn't yet encountered a real demon yet. They had hunted humans, but she had yet to meet with a demon. The pure thought of it drove Dalish to run, chasing a hope in finding her friend in the dream realm. There was so much risk, danger, that came along in being trapped by demons, and being so new wasn't good. Lashes could be possessed, her mind being twisted along with her physical form because of a silver tongued abomination. She didn't know how to handle these liars. 

Dalish had to concentrate, to pick up on some kind of feeling to find Lashes. She had to focus on something, on her energy mainly. If she could pick up on Lashes' energy, the one thing that was completely unique about her, then she had hope of finding the human.

What Dalish picked up on felt like sad joy, innocence, and something that just radiated _good_. It made Dalish feel warm, wanted, comforted, and that was strictly everything the Fade wasn't. She dashed towards the feeling, hunting that goodness that had to be Lashes. She jumped, leaped from island to island to get to the source of the energy. 

What the elf seen wasn't what she wanted nor expected.

A desire demon was coddling Lashes' body, stroking and cradling the woman as if she was a hurt child. Lashes was pliant, still in the demon's grasp. Dalish was about to use her bow, to attack the demon.

About.

A startled gasp and a hard jolt pushed Dalish from her spot on the ground, shooting straight up. She was drenched in a cold sweat, breathing hard. Bull was in front of her, just as surprised to see her awake just as she was as surprised to be awake. 

"Chief, you aren't going to like this."

 

"Arryn, come on! One more round!"

Arryn groaned and slammed her fist down. "My name isn't Arryn! Stop calling me that."

Gaelic frowned, looking like a little boy with his bottom lip pushed out. "C'mon, Arryn. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You keep calling me Arryn, and that isn't what I want to be called."

Sophi was beside Arryn, a hand on her shoulder. "Arryn, calm down. Why are you upset over your name?" Arryn looked at her best friend. Something... Something wasn't right. Something looked wrong about Sophi. When she turned to look at Gaelic, something was off about him. He didn't look normal. Arryn looked at Bull and then Krem, to Skinner and Grimm, and then Dalish. She looked the Chargers and just... something wasn't right.

Arryn stood from her seat, pushing away from the table. Sophi and Gaelic both stood up, looking shocked to see Arryn getting up. How long had they need at the tavern? 

"Arryn, are you going to bed all ready?" Gaelic asked, looking upset that she was leaving.

"Stay a bit longer. I'll have to leave again soon," Sophi said, batting her eye lashes, pleading for Arryn to stay.

She wasn't going to stay.

"My name isn't Arryn, not anymore. That name died when..."

Arryn's eyes went wide as she stepped away from both Gaelic and Sophi.

Memories flashed and flood in Arryn's head, shoving memories that weren't supposed to resurface. Memories of Gaelic's dead face, of Sophi's burned body. The memory of her and Bull throwing Sophi's bag into the ocean, of training with Gaelic alone for weeks, months, until she was trained. Memories of Fenris, about reading _Kirkwall_ and realizing that the story Sophi told was actually one of Varric's tales. The tavern wasn't real, the night wasn't real. The drinks weren't real. That's why Arryn couldn't taste her drink anymore, why Gaelic looked pale and sickly. Why Sophi looked like she did before they were thrown into Thedas.

This wasn't real.

"My name isn't Arryn, it's Lashes. And this, all of it, isn't real. You two aren't real," Arryn accused. The fake Gaelic and fake Sophi looked hurt. Arryn had to ignore had to ignore old feelings that yanked at her heart, telling her to sit down and comply, but she didn't. She stood her ground and reached for a dagger at her side. "Neither of you are real. This whole place isn't real. And I need to get back."

Gaelic shook his head. "You can't leave."

"You're here forever," Sophi said. 

"Watch me leave," Arryn retorted. The girl looked around, trying to find the door, but realized there wasn't a door.

_This might be a bit harder than I thought._

An idea, like a lightbulb, lit up in Arryn's head. Maybe the door wasn't physical, but rather, it was someone. Didn't that happen in a book? To escape a nightmare, the girl had to kill someone she loved? So maybe, to get out of the nightmare, Arryn had to kill Gaelic or Sophi.

"I'm sorry," Arryn said before yanking her dagger free, sinking it into Sophi's chest. She didn't get to see her dead friend die again, because the figure turned to dust before her. That left Gaelic.

When Arryn turned to Gaelic, a string of doubt stopped her for ruthless killing. With Sophi, she hadn't killed her. She didn't sink the blade into her or have to watch her burn. With Gaelic, there was that small piece of doubt that pulled at her. It might have been her fault he died, but she had to over come that. Had to let it go.

Had to let him go, just like Sophi and her old name.

When that dagger shoved through Gaelic's chest, the tavern faded, slowly, but it left. Around her, Arryn was left in a grey bog. The Chargers were gone, along with the table and drinks. All that was left was a fading Gaelic. By fading, Gaelic's form was changing into a purple woman, with horns similar to Bull's, flaming purple hair, and piercing gold eyes. If she was paying attention, Arryn would have seen that the woman was wearing close to nothing, but was too focused on watching the weird woman slowly fall, dying. 

Arryn looked around a moment. This world, it was a memory. It was there, maybe slightly repressed, but she had been in this world before.

At least, she thought she did.

Flickering her eyes open, Arryn could see the cover of her tent, along with a worried elf and a bull man.

Bull and Dalish.

The girl groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Is something the matter?" She asked, feeling stiff. How long had she slept?

"How did you do that, Lashes?" Dalish asked. 

"Do what? I just woke up." 

Dalish looked at the Iron Bull and shook her head. "Lashes, you were being cradled by a desire demon while you slept. I don't understand how you woke up just now." Arryn felt cold, like a bath of ice was poured over her head. A demon? Demons were fake! But then again, Thedas had dragons and mages, so why couldn't demons be real?

"I just... I had to kill Gaelic and Sophi and then I woke up," she said, sighing. It didn't hurt, not like she thought it would. To talk about Gaelic and Sophi, it was hard, but the pain she expected wasn't quite there. Maybe she was moving on.

"Fuck demons, that's what I say," Iron Bull said. Dalish was nodding in agreement. 

Arryn couldn't agree more. Fuck demons.


End file.
